Avoiding Temptation (17 page)

“Yeah, I know a guy. I’ll give him a call on my lunch break and put him in contact with you,” he grumbled. “Oh, and Lexi…”

“Sir?”

“Any progress on the Bryant case? I want that one resolved this month. It’s eating away time,” he told her before promptly turning around and walking away like he hadn’t just handed her an impossible task without a second thought.

“Great,” she said, storming back to her office.

At least she was getting that fucking name.

Lexi spent the rest of the afternoon buried in casework. She hadn’t even bothered surfacing for lunch, and by the time she was ready to leave the office that afternoon, she was starving and still without a contact for the divorce attorney.

She hesitantly wandered over to her boss’s office.

His assistant was looking bleary-eyed at the computer screen. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yeah. Is Chuck still here?” Lexi asked.

“No, he never came back after lunch.”

“Great,” Lexi groaned. “Did he happen to leave a message with you about a divorce attorney?”

His secretary glanced around her desk before shaking her head. “Nothing here, sorry. Did you want me to phone him?”

“No,” Lexi said quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was to draw
more
attention to herself than she already had. The next time she talked to her boss, he would probably tell her to close the case by the end of the week rather than the end of the month. “Thanks.”

She would have to remind him about it some other time. There wasn’t all that much time to waste, but there was nothing she could do at the moment.

She took the elevator down to the parking garage, got into her car, and drove out of the building. Stopping by the nearest drive-through restaurant, Lexi ordered some much-needed food, and then cut across town to Ramsey’s office.

Last night, she had told him all about Chyna’s freak-out about the wedding and how she was going to come into town for the weekend to celebrate. He had been ecstatic to hear it. By the look on his face, it almost seemed like he had been afraid that Lexi wasn’t excited about the prospect of their engagement. It wasn’t that she wasn’t excited. She had just had so much other stuff piled on top of her all at once. Listening to Chyna freak out about it had brought Lexi back to reality, and now, she was looking forward to the celebration.

In fact, she was on her way right now to celebrate. She had gotten out of work a little early, and she was surprising Ramsey at the office. They hadn’t spent as much time together prior to the engagement, and she thought it would be a sign of goodwill, proving that she really was invested in him.
She loved him.
All this talk of divorce made her anxious to show it.

Lexi had a pass to the staff parking lot, so she could come and go whenever she wanted. She found the closest open spot and parked her car. She had stuffed down the burger while she was driving, and she was finally starting not to desperately crave food. She could still eat more, but she didn’t feel like she was dying. Maybe she could grab something light with Ramsey on the way home. She smiled at the thought as she entered the medical wing.

It was a bustle of activity as doctors, nurses, and patients flitted about in the midst of activity. Lexi smiled at a wide-eyed receptionist at the front. She had caramel-colored skin with long black hair and brown eyes.

“Hey, Cierra!” Lexi said with a wave.

Cierra had been with the company since day one, and Lexi thought she was one of the best hires. Cierra had a great smile and was always able to calm people down like no one else.

“Hey, Lexi!” she said, waving. “Good to see you today. How is your case coming along? Are you kicking ass?”

Lexi chuckled and shook her head. “I wish it were over. How are things here?”

“Peachy. Smooth-sailing. Some of the doctors called out. I guess something has been going around, but it’s been fine. No complaints at least,” Cierra said with a giggle.

“They should know better than to complain to you about it anyway.”

“You know that’s the truth.”

A patient walked up then, and Lexi stepped back.

“See you later, Cierra.”

“Bye, girl.”

Ramsey’s office was on the top floor of the colossal building. He had always preferred his office at the clubs to be shrouded in secrecy with a full view of everything else that was going on. He hadn’t wanted something so extravagant, but the architects had said that offices were best on the top floors to get them out of the way. Then, they had kind of gone out of their way to make sure Ramsey had something nice. He had considered firing them over it, but Lexi had talked him off the edge. It had been a nice gesture.

She stepped out onto the top floor and over to Ramsey’s office. The lights were off, and his secretary was missing. He hated having a secretary, but with the added responsibilities, it was a necessity.

He should still be here though.
He never left the office this early. Plus, most days, he would call her to let her know when he was on his way home to her. Sometimes, she was impressively domesticated, and she would cook him dinner if she got home first. She wasn’t a great cook by a long shot, but he never complained about it.

And that was why she was a bit confused as to where he was.

Lexi pulled out her phone to call him when she heard voices coming from next door.
Maybe someone else knew where he was.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to the other office—Parker’s office. Her secretary was also absent, Lexi noticed as she approached. Her stomach knotted uncontrollably even though she knew she was overreacting. Ramsey had proposed to her last week. There was nothing going on with him and Parker. There hadn’t been anything going on with them for years. She wished her stomach would cooperate, but it wouldn’t. It never did when she knew they were together. And she most certainly knew they were together now.

Her hands balled into fists as she rounded the corner and stared through the glass windows into Parker’s office. It was as it always was—a hot mess. Paperwork was stacked high on every surface. Parker rarely ever got to them because she would spend more time in surgery, helping people, than anywhere else. Medical equipment sat in boxes, some half-opened, some still in plastic containers, while a few others were out and looked like she had been trying them out. A bicycle was in the corner. Lexi wasn’t sure what it was doing there. Parker didn’t live close enough to bike into work, and Lexi wasn’t sure what people would think if Parker took that thing into the elevators. Some clothes had been strewn into the corner—a couple pairs of scrubs, the black maxi dress she had worn yesterday, a few other random articles of clothing, and at least three pairs of shoes.
She must practically live here.

But what Lexi didn’t want to take in as she surveyed the room was what she couldn’t help but see.

Ramsey was sitting on the couch, completely relaxed, with one arm on the armrest and the other on the back of the couch. He had a gigantic smile on his face, and he looked like he had been laughing all afternoon. Parker was lying back on the couch, her head on the opposite armrest, with her feet pressed against Ramsey’s thigh. As Lexi stood there, she watched Parker say something that Lexi couldn’t make out. Parker then threw her head back in laughter as she kicked out at Ramsey for whatever he had said in response.

Lexi felt numb from her fingers to her toes. She stared unblinkingly at the display before her, knowing that it was just
them
. It was just Ramsey and Parker and the way they interacted, the way they had always interacted. It was this inherent familiarity that they had since they had known each other their whole lives…and loved nearly as long. Chyna had once equated it to how Lexi was with Jack.

Maybe it was. Maybe it was platonic at this point. Maybe it shouldn’t make her sick.

It wasn’t like they were having sex on the couch or anything. They weren’t actually
doing
anything, except sitting around and laughing. They were completely clothed aside from Parker not wearing shoes. There was no reason for Lexi to feel like this, but she still did.

Ramsey noticed Lexi first, straightening visibly before standing. Parker realized that Lexi was there next, but instead of adjusting herself, she just smiled brighter and waved Lexi inside.

Lexi moved mechanically to the door and walked in. A part of her wanted to turn around and just walk away. She wouldn’t do it, of course. Ramsey and Parker hadn’t been doing anything wrong. Lexi was just making up about a billion scenarios in her head. But that was all it was—her imagination getting the best of her.

“Hey, y’all,” Lexi said as the door closed behind her.

“Lexi, speak of the devil, we were literally just talking about you,” Parker said, her feet falling onto the ground as she sat up on the couch.

Just talking about me now…when you were laughing?

That was what Lexi wanted to ask, but of course, she didn’t.

“What about?” she asked instead.

“We were talking about the look on my parents’ faces when we made our announcement this weekend,” Ramsey filled in.

That was funny?
Lexi thought it had been pretty horrifying.

“Anything that makes them look like that is a good thing,” Parker threw out there.

“And here I thought, they hated me,” Lexi said, staring between them.

Parker shifted her feet and stared at the ground.

Ramsey shook his head and started to walk toward her. “They don’t hate you.”

“They don’t treat many people very well,” Parker said. “I mean, they were rotten to me for years.”

Ramsey turned to look at Parker, who promptly closed her mouth.

Lexi shrugged.
Great. Now, she was being compared to Parker. Well, it wasn’t the first time.

“At least I have years then, I guess,” Lexi said. She knew it probably sounded bitchy, and the words had only tumbled out of her mouth because she was so thrown by the situation.

Parker pursed her lips, and Ramsey took another step toward Lexi.

“Can I talk to you?” Lexi asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Ramsey said, taking her hand. “See you tomorrow, Parker.”

“Bye, y’all,” she said softly as they exited the office.

Ramsey walked next to Lexi down the hallway. He opened the door to his office for her and flipped on the lights. Once the door closed behind him, he turned back around toward Lexi, who had moved to the center of the room.

She felt pretty shitty for saying that to Parker. Nothing was going on. But it was hard not to feel upset about it all, especially after the summer. She just wanted to forget everything about it. She really just wanted a life without Parker, but it wasn’t one she could have. Ramsey and Parker were working together. They had opened a company together. Lexi had said she was okay with it. So, she just needed to be okay with it.

“Sorry,” she said immediately, shaking her head. She was flustered, and it sucked! “I got off work early. I wanted to surprise you. I feel dumb.”

“Lexi, it’s all right. You’re not dumb. I’m glad you’re here.” He walked across the room and pulled her into his arms.

She breathed in his peppermint scent and let it calm her nerves.
This engagement was making her a spaz. She needed to chill.

“You know there’s nothing between Parker and me,” Ramsey stated calmly.

“I know,” she said. “I know there’s nothing. I’m not worried. I just feel dumb.”

“Stop calling my fiancée all of these terrible things. She’s wonderful and beautiful and mine,” he whispered before he leaned forward and kissed her.

Lexi tilted her head back and opened her mouth to meet him
. God, he tasted heavenly.
She wound her hands behind his neck and let him press his body flush against hers. Their lips moved together, breaths intermingled, hands desperately held on to each other…to forget everything else.

She wanted to push the moment. She wanted to take this feeling and stretch it to infinity. Because here, right now, she didn’t feel anything but his lips on hers. She didn’t overanalyze, she didn’t reconsider, she didn’t freak out. She just felt Ramsey—her fiancé. She actually allowed herself to feel rather than think.

He broke away before she was ready, and he laughed when she tried to pull him back down to her.

“I think your phone is buzzing.”

“Shit!” she said, digging through her bag and pulling it out. “It’s my boss.” Lexi answered the phone. “Chuck, how are you?”

“I just got a hold of my friend, the divorce attorney you were bothering me about,” he said with no preamble.

“Oh, that’s great. Thank you, sir,” she said, a smile spreading on her face.

“His name is Richard Brian with Brian & Hancock. I’ve given him your information. He’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Thank you very much. I look forward to his call.”

“Yes, well, don’t forget to work on the Bryant case.”

“I’m on top of it, sir.”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The line went dead in her hand, and she placed the phone back into her purse.

“What was that about?” Ramsey asked, his eyebrows scrunching together.

“I asked my boss for a recommendation for a divorce attorney, and he just called me back with a name.”

“A divorce attorney…” Ramsey said. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Lexi as if waiting for an explanation.

“Yeah,” she said, the excitement over getting the name draining out of her.

Ramsey didn’t look happy about it.

“Lexi, why are you getting involved in that?” he asked, shaking his head. “I’m assuming that’s for Jack.”

“It is.”

“I just…don’t see any possible gain from you getting involved. If Bekah really has information on him cheating on her, then the best possible thing for you, your career, your future…fuck, our future…is to just stay far, far away.”

“I’m not involved,” she said stubbornly.

“He called you when he found out. He wanted to talk to you about it. He wanted your advice. And now, you’re getting him an attorney,” Ramsey said, ticking these things off on his fingers. “You’re already involved.”